The suspense is over, and the results are in!
Following in the footsteps of previous winners Rúnar Rúnarsson (2012) and Emily Atef (2013), 28 year old Slovenian writer-director Rok Bicek nabs the Bradford UNESCO City of Film European Competition with his debut feature Class Enemy (Razredni sovraznik), a piercing study of schoolroom tensions. The jury wrote:
With its excellent cast of professional and non-professional talent, Bicek has created a film that explores the nature of control and rebellion in a genre picture that allows for the perception of many metaphors, from the politics of National Socialism to the Arab Spring and Ukraine, whether intentional or not. A promising talent for European cinema.
The 4-person jury, comprising journalists Dana Linssen (from the Netherlands) and Davey Jenkins (Little White Lies editor), BIFF founder Bill Lawrence and actress Vicky McClure, also gave a special mention to the French film Mouton by Gilles Deroo and Marianne Pistone.
According to the jury, the duo:
… pushed the art of story-telling to a new level with this portrait of a seaside community. Equally commendable were the performances of the largely inexperienced cast, in particular David Mérabet as Mouton.
In the long-running Shine Short Film Competition, the 5 strong jury plumped for the Belgian entry Cadet by Kevin Meul.
Their citation praised the film’s:
… sustained energy, biting humour and excellent central performance from Aäron Roggeman—we can’t wait to see more of him in the future.
Here’s writer and director Kevin Meul with a thank you for everyone at the festival.
But it’s not over yet. Widescreen Weekend—our annual celebration of wide-format film-making—takes place from 10–13 April 2014.